Dynamic scheduling and channel creation based on external data

ABSTRACT

A system is provided that determines a media item for an insertion in a first media feed of a first channel based on a pre-encoded media content, metadata related to the pre-encoded media content, and audience-based parameters. The audience-based parameters comprise demographics data, targeted audience data, device type data, and trending information that includes media items based on current trend in a social network platform. Each media segment of the pre-encoded media content corresponds to a different quality level and content encryption mode. A second channel is generated from the first channel based on the audience-based parameters, the media item inserted in the first media feed, and a second programming schedule. The second programming schedule corresponds to a modified first programming schedule based on the audience-based parameters. Based on at least the media item, the second media feed of the second channel is generated for distribution to a consumer device.

REFERENCE

This Patent Application makes reference to, claims priority to, claimsthe benefit of, and is a Continuation Application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 17/839,882, filed on Jun. 14, 2022, which is aDivisional Application of U.S. Pat. No. 11,503,352, issued on Nov. 15,2022.

This application makes reference to:

-   U.S. patent Ser. No. 11,134,309, issued on Sep. 28, 2021;-   U.S. patent Ser. No. 10,425,700, issued on Sep. 24, 2019; and-   U.S. patent Ser. No. 10,075,753, issued on Sep. 11, 2018.

Each of the above referenced patent applications is hereby incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

Certain embodiments of the disclosure relate to media content packagingand distribution system. More specifically, certain embodiments of thedisclosure relate to a method and system for dynamic scheduling andchannel creation based on external data.

BACKGROUND

Advancements in the television and broadcasting sector have led to thedevelopment of various technologies and broadcasting platforms that arechanging the way consumers access and view media content. Broadcastingplatforms usually refers to the types of networks that are used todeliver the television signal to the viewer. Currently, all thebroadcasting platforms, such as analogue terrestrial broadcast, digitalterrestrial broadcast, direct-to-home satellite broadcast, cable,Internet Protocol (IP), and over-the-top television (OTT), compete andstrive to increase their appeal in order to gain wider audience. Thetelevision viewing market is no longer exclusively concerned withwhether media content services are viewed on a dedicated television oranother device capable of playing media content. As a result ofpenetration of new technologies in the television, radio, andbroadcasting sector, it is evident that the success of broadcasting willbe dependent on the ability of the network provider to gain access tothe content that consumers demand, and to differentiate their offeringfrom that of incumbent broadcasters or find new modes of contentdelivery.

Traditionally, a network provider (network operator) usually decideswhat content to distribute in the upcoming broadcast year and when toair them. A programming schedule defines what to broadcast and when,ensuring an adequate or maximum utilization of airtime. Accordingly, themedia content is packaged into brands, or organized into channels to bedelivered to consumers. Increased competition has led the broadcastproviders (or the network providers) to differentiate their offering andhandle multiple channels at the same time, which in turn have addedunparalleled levels of complexity. This required installation of largeinfrastructures and resources to maintain uninterrupted content deliveryfor existing channels and also meet the ever-increasing demand of newchannels. Thus, an advanced system may be required that provides thenetwork provider with an ability to not only provide new channelofferings in cost-effective manner but also provide enhanced viewerexperience to increase their appeal in order to gain wider audience.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditionalapproaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, throughcomparison of such systems with some aspects of the present disclosureas set forth in the remainder of the present application with referenceto the drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Systems and/or methods are provided for dynamic scheduling and channelcreation based on external data, substantially as shown in and/ordescribed in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forthmore completely in the claims.

These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of the presentdisclosure, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof,will be more fully understood from the following description anddrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary system fordynamic scheduling and channel creation, in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary media contentpackaging and distribution system for dynamic scheduling and channelcreation, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates segmenting of pre-encoded media content to depict aframework for dynamic scheduling and channel creation by the mediacontent packaging and distribution system of FIG. 1B, in accordance withan exemplary embodiment of the disclosure.

FIGS. 3A and 3B, collectively, depict a flow chart illustratingexemplary operations for dynamic scheduling and channel creation basedon external data in the content packaging and distribution system ofFIG. 1B, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary scenario for external data-drivendynamic scheduling and channel creation based on external data, inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a hardwareimplementation for a content packaging and distribution system employinga processing system for dynamic scheduling and channel creation based onexternal data, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thedisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

Certain embodiments of the disclosure may be found in a method andsystem for dynamic scheduling and channel creation based on externaldata. Various embodiments of the disclosure provide a method and systemthat simplifies scheduling and channel creation process, and providesthe network provider with an ability to not only provide new channelofferings in cost-effective manner but also provide enhanced viewerexperience to increase their appeal in order to gain wider audience.

In accordance with various embodiments of the disclosure, a mediacontent packaging and distribution system is provided that handlesdistribution of one or more channels to be viewed on one or more of aplurality of consumer devices. The media content packaging anddistribution system receives a media feed and a first programmingschedule of a first channel of the one or more channels from a sourcedevice. Audience-based parameters may be received from an external datasource over a network. One or more media items to be inserted in themedia feed of the first channel are determined based on the receivedaudience-based parameters and defined parameters. The determined one ormore media items are dynamically scheduled in the media feed of thefirst channel to be delivered over a distribution system to be viewed onone or more of the plurality of consumer devices, based on the receivedaudience-based parameters and the defined parameters. The one or moremedia items inserted in one or more spots of the received media feed maybe stitched to generate a program stream for distribution to a set ofthe plurality of consumer devices based on the defined parameters.

In accordance with an embodiment, the audience-based parameters mayinclude demographics data, a targeted audience data, and/or a devicetype data. The audience-based parameters received from the external datasource may include trending information that includes a list of mediaitems currently trending in one or more social network platforms. Theaudience-based parameters received from the external data source, mayfurther include content recognition-based information, for example,automatic content recognition (ACR)-based information, extracted fromthe received media feed, one or more other live feeds of other channelsof the one or more channels, and pre-encoded media assets. The firstprogramming schedule may be modified to generate a second programmingschedule based on the received audience-based parameters from theexternal data source.

In accordance with an embodiment, a second channel may be created fromthe first channel based on the received audience-based parameters fromthe external data source, at least the determined one or more mediaitems to be inserted in the media feed, and the generated secondprogramming schedule. A plurality of new channels may be created fromthe first channel based on different types of audience-based parametersreceived from the external data source and different programmingschedules generated based on the modification of the first programmingschedule of the first channel.

FIG. 1A is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary system fordynamic scheduling and channel creation, in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1A, the system 100,comprises a media packaging and distribution system 102 that iscommunicatively coupled to published data sources 104 a, . . . , 104 n,advertiser order generation and advertisement decisioning systems(AOGADS) 106 a, . . . , 106 n, via a network 108 and/or otherprogrammatic means. There is shown consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 nthat are communicatively coupled to the network 108. The media contentpackaging and distribution system 102 may comprise a scheduler 112, asystem for converting pre-encoded media content for live distribution,hereinafter referred to pre-encoded media content converter (PEMCC) 114,and a data storage system 116. There is also shown a source device 118communicatively coupled to the scheduler 112 and the network 108. Anexternal data source 120 is also provided, which is communicativelycoupled to the data storage system 116, and the network 108.

The media content packaging and distribution system 102 may comprisesuitable logic, circuitry, and interfaces that may be configured toexecute code that handles distribution of content comprising audio,video, images, metadata, and/or other data (embedded and/or externallyreferenced). The media content packaging and distribution system 102handles distribution, for example, multicasting, unicasting,broadcasting, streaming, for one or more channels to be viewed on one ormore of the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . ,110 n. The mediacontent packaging and distribution system 102 may be operated by anentity related to handling or distribution of media content, forexample, a broadcast provider or operator, or a network provider oroperator. The entity related to handling or distribution of mediacontent may also refer to a content owner, a distributor, a syndicator,a re-distributor, a content aggregator, a search, discovery, orcataloging service provider, or any other entity actively or passivelyinvolved with the distribution, cataloging, or referencing of completeor partial presentations of media content. The media content may includea video, an audio, a combination of audio and video presentations, acombination of audio, video, and/or embedded or externally referencedmetadata, a combination of multiple-audio, multiple-video, and/orembedded or externally referenced metadata. The media content may alsoinclude metadata associated with the audio/video presentation, such asgame scores, statistics, or timings, social media,cast/character/credits, geo-spatial data, and/or still-images orgraphics (referenced or embedded). Throughout this document, the termsbroadcast provider or broadcast operator, and network provider ornetwork operator may be utilized to refer to the entity related tohandling or distribution of media content, interchangeably. Thebroadcast provider may handle a single channel or a plurality ofchannels, or one or more networks. The broadcast provider may beconfigured to distribute content via one or more platforms, for example,traditional over-the-air broadcast channels, radio, cable televisionnetworks, satellite communication networks, the Internet, and/or othercontent delivery networks (CDNs).

Each of the plurality of published data sources 104 a, . . . , 104 n maybe coupled to one or more television networks and may comprise suitablelogic, circuitry, and interfaces that may be configured to execute codethat provides actual audiences for programs that were distributed. Asillustrated in FIG. 1A, the plurality of published data sources 104 a, .. . , 104 n are coupled to the media content packaging and distributionsystem 102 via the network 108. The plurality of published data sources104 a, . . . , 104 n may provide actual audiences for programs to thedata storage system 116. An exemplary published data source may beNielsen. Another exemplary published data source may be a publisheddatabase that provides ratings for a media item, such as gross ratingpoint (GRP). The GRP is an advertising or a promotion impact measure foreach advertising and/or promotional campaigns, known in the art. Otherexemplary published data sources may also include direct/indirect accessto other public or private data sources (persistent or ephemeral)through programmatic means.

The AOGADS 106 a, . . . , 106 n may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,and interfaces that may be configured to place orders with the networkprovider that include information about type of spots to be distributed(e.g. multicast or broadcast), the number of spots to be distributed,and when should the spots be distributed. The media content packagingand distribution system 102 may be configured to electronically receive,via the network 108, deals comprising advertisers' orders from theplurality of AOGADS 106 a, . . . , 106 n. The AOGADS 106 a, . . . , 106n may provide multiple orders, which need not be submitted at the sametime. Therefore, orders with new or additional spots to be placed andany previously determined commercial break schedule may needs to beupdated to accommodate the constraints and requirements of those spotsalready placed and of the new spots being received. In this regard, theAOGADS 106 a, . . . , 106 n may electronically book spots to a sellingtitle (ST), and within the selling title there are constraints. Theadvertiser's order comprises airing constraints and placementrequirements corresponding to the one or more spots, and each of the oneor more commercial breaks comprises a plurality of inventory buckets.The airing constraints corresponding to each of the one or more spotscomprise, for example, one or more of network constraints, selling titleconstraints, inventory utilization type constraints, allowable date andtime constraints, and advertiser conflict constraints. In accordancewith an embodiment, when the advertisements are inserted into a sourcestream, the advertisements are usually run (or pass) through the ordergeneration component of the AOGADS 106 a, . . . , 106 n. Theadvertisement decisioning component of the AOGADS 106 a, . . . , 106 nis used during a real-time content or advertisement placement activity,for example during dynamic ad insertion. For example, commercial ornon-commercial advertisements may be dynamically inserted within programsegments of a media feed based on the detected upcoming inbound trigger,signaling point, and/or signal in a source stream by the AOGADS 106 a, .. . , 106 n. The AOGADS 106 a, . . . , 106 n may utilize the programmingschedule to identity the opportunities for the real-time content oradvertisement placement activity. In accordance with an embodiment, theadvertisement decisioning component of the AOGADS 106 a, . . . , 106 nmay be implemented in a client device, such as one or more of theplurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . ,110 n. In such a case, theadvertisement decisioning component of the AOGADS 106 a, . . . , 106 nmay identify real-time content or advertisement placement opportunityfor dynamic ad insertion. For example, commercial or non-commercialadvertisements may be dynamically inserted within program segments of amedia feed based on the detected upcoming inbound trigger, signalingpoint, and/or signal in a source stream by the AOGADS 106 a, . . . , 106n when implemented in the client device.

The network 108 may be any kind of network, or a combination of variousnetworks, and it is shown illustrating the communication that may occurbetween the AOGADS 106 a, . . . , 106 n and the media content packagingand distribution system 102. For example, the network 108 may compriseone or more of a cable television network, the Internet, a satellitecommunication network, a wide area network (WAN), a medium area network(MAN), and a local area network (LAN). Although a network 108 is shown,the disclosure is not limited in this regard, Accordingly, otherexemplary modes may comprise uni-directional or bi-directionaldistribution, such as packet-radio, satellite. Furthermore, the network108 is an exemplary embodiment of a distribution system.

The consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n may refer to end-user devicesor consumption devices where the content is played to be consumed by auser. The number of impressions of a media item, such as anadvertisement and/or promotional media, on such plurality of consumerdevices 110 a, . . . , 110 n determines the advertising impact orpromotion impact and number of actual audiences achieved duringcampaigns. Examples of the consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n mayinclude, but are not limited to connected TVs, connected TV with pairedand/or connected devices (e.g., HDMI sticks, tablets), and second screendevices such as smartphones, tablets, game consoles, personal computers,set-top boxes, embedded devices, or any process/system capable ofprocessing the output for any means, regardless of the capability orintent to decode for media presentation.

The scheduler 112 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and interfacesthat may be configured to execute a code that handles a programmingschedule of a channel. The programming schedule of a channel defineswhat media content should be scheduled, the ordering of the mediacontent during playout, and when to distribute the content. The mediacontent that is distributed may include both the programming content,such as long-form presentations, short-form presentations, news orsporting events; and non-programming content, such as paidadvertisements, public service advertisements, or promotional material.In accordance with an embodiment, the programming schedule may comprisedata structures or file formats capable of being processed by acomputer, that comprise a reference mapping of different media contentitems that needs to be stitched by the PEMCC 114. The scheduler 112 mayreceive a programming schedule of an existing channel from the sourcedevice 118. The scheduler 112 may modify the received programmingschedule to generate a new programming schedule, where the generation ofthe new programming schedule may be driven by real time or near-realtime content context analysis, user-selection on a consumer device, suchas the consumer devices 110 a, . . . ,110 n, or driven by external datareceived from the external data source 120.

The PEMCC 114 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and interfacesthat may be configured to execute a code to stitch one or more mediaitems in accordance with the specified play schedule, such as thegenerated new programming schedule, to generate a specific programstream to be delivered to one or more of the plurality of consumerdevices 110 a, . . . ,110 n, based on the defined parameters. Inaccordance with an embodiment, the PEMCC 114 may be configured to stitchone or more pre-encoded media assets stored in the data storage system116 with newly encoded live media sources to create a program stream fora new channel that is in a suitable state (or ready) to be distributedto one or more of the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . ,110 nwithout a requirement to re-encode the pre-encoded media assets beforethe distribution of the program stream of the new channel. In thisregard, a stream could be tailored for a single device of the consumerdevices 110 a, . . . ,110 n, or for a plurality of the consumer devices110 a, . . . ,110 n. The decisioning as to which pre-encoded mediaassets to select for delivery over the network 108 to the one or more ofthe plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . ,110 n may be based onthe manipulation of the programming schedules that may be done in realtime or near-real time. The manipulation of the programming schedules isdriven by real time or near-real time content context analysis,user-selection on the consumer devices 110 a, . . . ,110 n, or driven byexternal data received from the external data source 120. The PEMCC 114may also be referred to as a stream manipulator that may be configuredto insert live content or pre-stored media content, in an existingprogram stream based on manipulation of a programming schedule of anexisting program stream, such as an existing channel. The insertion oflive content, pre-stored media content, pre-encoded media assets, and/orthe like may be driven by real time or near-real time content contextanalysis, user-selection on the consumer devices 110 a, . . . ,110 n, ordriven by external data received from the external data source 120.Alternatively, both the live or pre-stored programming content (such aslong-form presentations, short-form presentations, news or sportingevents); and non-programming content, such as paid advertisements,public service advertisements, or promotional material, may bedynamically scheduled, inserted, and stitched to create new channelsbased on real time or near-real time (or with a certain lag time)manipulation of the programming schedule.

The data storage system 116 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, andinterfaces that may be configured to store pre-encoded media contentsegments, such as VOD assets, live content segments, and metadatarelated to the pre-encoded media content segments and the live contentsegments. The data storage system 116 may also store, process, andgenerate aggregate viewing information based on various data feedsreceived from the external data source 120 and the published datasources 104 a, . . . , 104 n.

The source device 118 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, andinterfaces that may be configured to communicate a media feed and aprogramming schedule of a channel, such as an existing channel, to themedia content packaging and distribution system 102. In accordance withan embodiment, the media feed of the channel may corresponds to abroadcast feed. The source device 118 may be communicatively coupled tothe network 108.

The external data source 120 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, andinterfaces that may be configured to execute code that handles retrievaland storage of audience data that corresponds to subscribers of theplurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . ,110 n. The audience data mayinclude demographics data, audience targeting data, trending data,device type data, device platform data, and content recognition-baseddata, such as automatic content recognition (ACR)-based data. Thetrending data comprises information of what's trending in the socialnetworks (or platforms), such as Twitter, Facebook, and the like. Thetrending data also comprises information of what's trending based onsocial engagement, such as number of likes or votes to a particularmedia item, or number of people watching a particular media item. Thetrending data may indicate an aggregate interest level of a number ofusers in the social networks for a particular media item. For example, athousand or more shares, or likes by a number of users may indicate ahighly popular media item.

In operation, the media content packaging and distribution system 102may be configured to handle distribution of one or more channels to beviewed on one or more of the plurality of consumer devices, such as theconsumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n. The scheduler 112 may beconfigured to receive a media feed and a first programming schedule of afirst channel of the one or more channels from the source device 118. Anapplication server (described in FIG. 1B) may be configured to receive auser-preference from a first consumer device of the plurality ofconsumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n on which the first channel isviewed. The scheduler 112 may be configured to analyze, based on contentcontext analysis, one or more other live feeds of other channels of theone or more channels or pre-encoded media assets stored in the datastorage system 116. The scheduler 112 may be further configured torecommend, based on the content context analysis, a media item to beinserted in the media feed of the first channel, based on the receiveduser-preference. The scheduler 112 may be configured to dynamicallyschedule the recommended media item in the media feed of the firstchannel to be delivered over a distribution system, for example, thenetwork 108, to be viewed on the first consumer device of the pluralityof consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n. The scheduler 112 may beconfigured to dynamically schedule the recommended media item based onthe content context analysis executed in real time or near-real time.The scheduler 112 may modify the first programming schedule to generatea second programming schedule to deliver the recommended media item overthe network 108. The PEMCC 114 may be configured to stitch one or moremedia items that corresponds to the recommended media item in one ormore spots of the received media feed to generate a program stream fordistribution to the first consumer device or other consumer devices ofthe plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n.

In accordance with another exemplary aspect of the disclosure, thetelevision content packaging and distribution system 102 may beconfigured to handle multicasting of one or more channels to be viewedon a plurality of consumer devices, such as the consumer devices 110 a,. . . , 110 n. The scheduler 112 may be configured to receive a videofeed and a first programming schedule of a first channel of the one ormore channels from the source device 118. The scheduler 112 may befurther configured to receive audience-based parameters from theexternal data source 120 over the network 108. The audience-basedparameters may include demographics data, a targeted audience data, anda device type data. The audience-based parameters received from theexternal data source 120 may further include trending information thatincludes a list of media items currently trending in one or more socialnetwork platforms and/or ACR-based information extracted from thereceived video feed, one or more other live feeds of other channels ofthe one or more channels. The scheduler 112 may be configured todetermine one or more media items to be inserted in the video feed ofthe first channel based on the received audience-based parameters anddefined parameters. The scheduler 112 may be configured to dynamicallyschedule the determined one or more media items in the video feed of thefirst channel to be delivered over the network 108 to be viewed on oneor more of the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n, basedon the received audience-based parameters and the defined parameters. Anexample of the dynamic scheduling and channel creation based on a realtime or a near-real time audience-based parameters received from theexternal data source 120, is shown and described in FIG. 4 .

FIG. 1B is a block diagram that illustrates an exemplary media contentpackaging and distribution system for dynamic scheduling and channelcreation, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure.Referring to FIG. 1B, the media content packaging and distributionsystem 102 may further comprise an application server 122, a livecontent storage system 124, a media content storage system 126, and ametadata cloud storage system 128. The metadata cloud storage system 128may include VOD program metadata 128A, live program metadata 128B, andaggregate viewing information 128C. The live content storage system 124,the media content storage system 126, and the metadata cloud storagesystem 128 may be provided in the data storage system 116, as describedin FIG. 1A. There is shown the scheduler 112, the PEMCC 114, and thesource device 118 provided in the media content packaging anddistribution system 102, as described in FIG. 1A. There is also shown aCDN 130, which is an example of the network 108, a client device 132,which is one of the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n,and a user 134 associated with the client device 132.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the scheduler 112, the PEMCC 114,and the application server 122 may be integrated to form an integratedsystem. In some embodiments of the disclosure, as shown, the scheduler112, the PEMCC 114, and the application server 122 may be distinct.Other separation and/or combination of the various entities of theexemplary media content packaging and distribution system 102illustrated in FIG. 1B may be done without departing from the spirit andscope of the various embodiments of the disclosure.

The application server 122 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, andinterfaces that may be configured to communicate a notification of arecommended media item to a consumer device, for example, the clientdevice 132. The notification may be communicated to seek a confirmationfrom a user, such as the user 134 associated with the client device 132to display the recommended media item on the client device 132. Theapplication server 122 may further receive an input that corresponds tothe confirmation from the user 134 associated with the client device 132to display the recommended media item on the client device 132, andfurther communicate the received input to the scheduler 112. Theapplication server 122 may be further configured to receiveuser-preferences from the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . .,110 n. In accordance with an embodiment, the application server 122 maybe configured to receive an input that corresponds to user-selections onthe plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . ,110 n, such as theclient device 132, over the network 108. The application server 122 actsas an interface between the scheduler 112 of the media content packagingand distribution system 102 and the plurality of consumer devices 110 a,. . . ,110 n, such as the client device 132.

The live content storage system 124 may comprise suitable logic,circuitry, and interfaces that may be configured to store live contentsegments of one or more live feeds of channels, such as a live broadcastfeed of a CNN channel. The live content storage system 124 may becommunicatively coupled to the CDN 130 to receive the one or more livefeeds of channels. The media content storage system 126 may comprisesuitable logic, circuitry, and interfaces that may be configured tostore media content segments such as VOD content segments. The mediacontent storage system 126 may be communicatively coupled to the CDN130. The media content storage system 126 may include pre-encoded mediaassets.

The metadata cloud storage system 128 may comprise suitable logic,circuitry, and interfaces that may be configured to store VOD programmetadata 128A, live program metadata 128B, and aggregate viewinginformation 128C. The VOD program metadata 128A may include metadataassociated with media content segments stored in the media contentstorage system 126. Examples of the VOD program metadata 128A mayinclude a media item identifier, a title of the media item, a shortsummary of the media content segments, a short summary of ideal adplacements within the content, a file format, digital right management(DRM), encryption information, length of the media item, a date and/ortime the media item was added to the catalog of media items, a new itemindicator for the media item (e.g., a new media asset that becameavailable within the last 24 hours, last few days, last week, and/or thelike), a media item class, for example, a television show, a cartoonprogram, a movie, a news media, an episode, a game, a clip, a recordedsports event, interactive media, and/or the like. In general, the clipmay be curated or editorially selected excerpts from existing fullepisodes, TV shows, or movies. In accordance with an exemplaryembodiment, the VOD program metadata 128A may also storeprogram-specific information (PSI) data as defined by ISO/IEC 13818-1(MPEG-2), closed captioning data, and subtitles associated with themedia content segments stored in the media content storage system 126.Other forms of metadata may be utilized without departing from thespirit and scope of the various embodiments of the disclosure.

The aggregate viewing information 128C may include audience-basedparameters. The audience-based parameters may include calculated valuesderived by processing of audience data, which corresponds to subscribersof the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . ,110 n, received fromthe external data source 120. The audience-based parameters may alsoinclude a path to retrieve a media item, for example, a trending mediaitem, from the external data source 120 or other content servers.

The live program metadata 128B may include metadata associated with livecontent segments of one or more live feeds of channels stored in thelive content storage system 124. Examples of the live program metadata128B may include a media item identifier, a title of the media item, ashort summary of the content segments, a file format, encryptioninformation, length of the media item, a date and/or time the media itemwas added to the catalog of media items, a new item indicator for themedia item, a media item class, for example, a television show, acartoon program, a movie, a news media, an episode, a game, a clip, arecorded sports event, interactive media, and/or the like. In accordancewith an exemplary embodiment, the live program metadata 128B may alsostore program-specific information (PSI) data as defined byISO/IEC13818-1 (MPEG-2), closed captioning data, subtitles, and one ormore inbound triggers, signals, or markers, of the live media feedassociated with the live content segments stored in the live contentstorage system 124. Other forms of metadata may be utilized withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the various embodiments of thedisclosure.

The CDN 130 may correspond to the network 108. The CDN 130 may comprisenetworks configured for distributing media content. Generally, the term“content,” “metadata,” “media,” and similar words are usedinterchangeably to refer to any type of media—audio, videos, datacasts,music, text, images, graphics, articles, photos, photo galleries, videogalleries, infographics, maps, polls, guest biographies, tweets or othersocial media, blog posts, and/or the like. The CDN 130 may be configuredfor providing the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . ,110 n,such as the client device 132, with media content via transport stream,segmented streaming, progressive download, or any other modes ofdistributing a multimedia presentation, such as via an over-the-aircontent delivery/distribution network, a linear contentdelivery/distribution network, a cable content delivery/distributionnetwork, a satellite content delivery/distribution network, an InternetProtocol (IP) based content delivery/distribution network, and/or thelike.

The client device 132 may be one of the plurality of consumer devices110 a, . . . ,110 n. In accordance with an embodiment, the client device132 may be an ACR-enabled device. The client device 132 may beconfigured to communicate with the application server 122, via the CDN130, or a separate communication network.

FIG. 2 illustrates an arrangement of pre-encoded media assets inaccordance with a programming schedule to depict a framework for dynamicscheduling and channel creation by the media content packaging anddistribution system of FIG. 1B, in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the disclosure. Referring to the exemplary arrangement ofFIG. 2 , there is shown a first media asset 202, a second media asset204, a third media asset 206. There is also shown a first interstitialcontent item 208 placed after the first media asset 202, and a secondinterstitial content item 210 placed after the second media asset 204.Each media assets 202, 204, and 206 may be a pre-encoded content item,and may be stored in the media content storage system 126 in segments orother forms. For example, the first media asset 202 may be segmentedinto first set of video segments 202 a, 202 b, 202 c, . . . ,202 n.Similarly, the second media asset 204 and the third media asset 206 mayalso be segmented into second set of video segments 204 a, 204 b, 204 c,. . . ,204 n, and third set of video segments 206 a, 206 b, 206 c, . . .,206 n respectively. By way of example, the segmentation may be executedby a segmenting system (not shown) during a preparation stage of themedia assets. In accordance with an embodiment, all the segments of thefirst set of video segments 202 a, 202 b, 202 c, . . . ,202 n, thesecond set of video segments 204 a, 204 b, 204 c, . . . ,204 n, andthird set of video segments 206 a, 206 b, 206 c, . . . ,206 n, may besegmented into consistent length, for example, 10 seconds segments. Itmay be advantageous to have a consistent and smaller file size ofsegments to be able to quickly push to the CDN 130, and also for quickdownloading by a media player at the end-user side, such as on theplurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . ,110 n. During thepreparation stage of the media assets, an optimum size (or length) ofsegments may be determined by the segmentation system. Smaller chunks orsegments of VOD assets may be difficult to manage as metadata associatedwith them may increase, whereas larger chunks or segments may bedifficult to communicate by the media content packaging and distributionsystem 102 and also to be downloaded by the media player so as tomaintain an adequate buffer for consistent streaming and playback at themedia player. Thus, an optimal size of segments may be determined. It isto be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may bemade and segments of different file sizes (or length) may be usedwithout departure from the scope of the present disclosure. Further, itshould be recognized by one skilled in the art that other streamingprotocols may require a different processing of media content. Thus, thescope of the disclosure should not be limited to the processing orpreparation of media content to allow delivery using different deliverymethods, streaming protocols, or distribution system, known in the art.Further, instead of the media assets arranged, as shown, live contentsegments may be arranged after, in between, or prior to a media asset(e.g. VOD content segments) or an interstitial content item. Theinsertion of the live content segments may be done on-the-fly based ondynamic scheduling and programming schedule manipulation. The insertionof live content, pre-stored media content, pre-encoded media assets,and/or the like, may be driven by real time or near-real time contentcontext analysis, user-selection on the consumer devices 110 a, . . .,110 n, or driven by external data received from the external datasource 120. The scheduler 112 in association with the PEMCC 114 (alsoreferred to as a stream manipulator) may be configured to insert livecontent or pre-stored media content, in an existing program stream basedon manipulation of a programming schedule of an existing program stream,such as an existing channel.

In accordance with an embodiment, each segment of the first set of videosegments 202 a, 202 b, 202 c, . . . ,202 n, the second set of videosegments 204 a, 204 b, 204 c, . . . ,204 n, and third set of videosegments 206 a, 206 b, 206 c, . . . ,206 n, may be further processed tobe stored at various quality levels, and content encryption modes forthe purposes of adaptive bitrate streaming and Digital RightsManagement, for example, the video segment 202 a may be stored in aplurality of quality levels, for example, high definition (HD), highdynamic range (HDR) video, or different quality levels in accordancewith specified pixel resolutions, bitrates, frame rates, and/or samplefrequencies. As each of the media assets, such as the media assets 202to 206, are pre-encoded, segmented, and stored in the plurality ofquality levels in the media content storage system 126, the media assetsmay be re-used to create new channels, such as new program streams,without requiring to re-encode a selected media asset when a new programstream is created using the pre-encoded media assets.

For the sake of brevity, and with reference to FIG. 2 , there is shownan example of media packaging for adaptive streaming using certainprotocols or streaming methods for at least one delivery method of thedistribution system. It is to be understood that media packaging fordifferent delivery methods (such as analog terrestrial broadcast,digital terrestrial broadcast, direct-to-home satellite broadcast,cable, other Internet Protocol (IP)-based delivery methods, over-the-toptelevision (OTT)), different streaming protocols, or distributionsystem, may be different. The media content may be prepared to be viewedone or more of the plurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . ,110 n,based on at least the desired delivery method, delivery conditions,content protection requirements, to satisfy operational and technicalrequirements, as needed. The operational and technical requirements mayinclude, but are not limited to, media encoding, media segmentation,programming schedule (or manifest) creation or manipulationrequirements, desired media encryption, and/or metadata signalingrequirements. For example, in certain scenarios and for certain mediacontent delivery methods, network bandwidth, network conditions, ordevice-type where media content is to be consumed may not be variable orknown in advance. In such a case, creating different quality levels fora same media asset may not be required. Further, based on differentoperational and technical requirements, media packaging or thearrangement of media assets or other content in a program stream may bedifferent. The media content that is prepared and distributed mayinclude both the programming content, such as long-form presentations,short-form presentations, news or sporting events; and non-programmingcontent, such as paid advertisements, public service advertisements, orpromotional material.

Currently, dedicated encoders, such as physical encoders, are used toencode each program stream before distribution or transmission (i.e.before a distribution of a program stream of a channel). Such dedicatedencoders are not only costly but also limit ability of a broadcastprovider to swap or change content dynamically in a program stream aseach content item needs to pass through such dedicated encoders fortransmission. In other words, if any new content item is to be insertedin the program stream of channel that is to be distributed, that programstream then needs to be re-encoded again. This in turn increases re-workand requires installation of large infrastructures and resources tomaintain uninterrupted content delivery for existing channel and limitsthe ability of the broadcast or network provider to change content inreal time or near-real time. In accordance with the various embodimentsof the present disclosure, the media content packaging and distributionsystem 102 provides an ability to dynamically schedule a media item,such as a pre-encoded media asset, and insert the media item in anexisting live media feed of a channel to be directly delivered over adistribution system (such as one or more delivery methods) to be viewedon one or more consumer devices 110 a, . . . ,110 n. The program streamin which the new media item is inserted may not be required to passthrough the dedicated encoders before delivery over the network 108,such as the CDN 130.

FIGS. 3A and 3B, collectively, depict a flow chart illustratingexemplary operations for dynamic scheduling and channel creation basedon external data in the content packaging and distribution system ofFIG. 1B, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure.Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, there are shown a flow chart 700comprising exemplary operations 702 through 716.

At 702, a media feed (or an identifier of the media feed) and a firstprogramming schedule of a first channel of the one or more channels maybe received from the source device 118. The scheduler 112 may receivethe media feed and the first programming schedule of the first channel,such as an existing channel.

At 704, audience-based parameters may be received from the external datasource 120 over the network 108. The audience-based parameters includedemographics data, a targeted audience data, a device type data, and/ortrending information that includes a list of media items currentlytrending in one or more social network platforms. The audience-basedparameters received from the external data source 120 may furtherinclude ACR-based information. The ACR-based information may beextracted from the received video feed, one or more other live feeds ofother channels of the one or more channels, and/or pre-stored VODassets. The audience-based parameters may be stored as the aggregateviewing information 128C in the metadata cloud storage system 128. Theaudience-based parameters may include calculated values derived byprocessing of audience data, which corresponds to subscribers of theplurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n, received from theexternal data source 120. The audience-based parameters may also includea path to retrieve a media item, for example, a trending media item,from the external data source 120 or other content servers. An exampleis shown and described in FIG. 4 .

At 706, one or more media items to be inserted in the video feed of thefirst channel may be determined based on the received audience-basedparameters and defined parameters. The scheduler 112 may be configuredto determine the one or more media items to be inserted in the videofeed of the first channel based on the received audience-basedparameters.

At 708, the first programming schedule may be modified to generate asecond programming schedule based on the received audience-basedparameters from the external data source 120. The scheduler 112 may beconfigured to modify the first programming schedule based on thereceived audience-based parameters from the external data source 120.For example, one or more references that points to the determined one ormore media items may be included in the first programming schedule forscheduling.

At 710, the determined one or more media items may be dynamicallyscheduled in the video feed of the first channel to be delivered overthe network 108 to be viewed on one or more of the plurality of consumerdevices 110 a, . . . ,110 n, based on the received audience-basedparameters and the defined parameters. The scheduler 112 may beconfigured to dynamically schedule the determined media item.

At 712, the one or more media items may be stitched such that the one ormore media items are inserted in one or more spots of the received mediafeed. The PEMCC 114 may be configured to stitch the one or more mediaitems to generate a new program stream for distribution to a set of theplurality of consumer devices 110 a, . . . ,110 n, based on the definedparameters.

At 714, a second channel may be created from the first channel based onthe received audience-based parameters from the external data source120, the determined one or more media items to be inserted in the mediafeed, and the generated second programming schedule. The PEMCC 114 maybe configured to stitch the determined one or more media items based onthe modified first programming schedule such that the second channel iscreated to be directly delivered over a distribution system (e.g. theCDN 130 or the network 108).

At 716, a plurality of new channels may be created from the firstchannel based on different types of audience-based parameters receivedfrom the external data source 120 and different programming schedulesgenerated based on the modification of the first programming schedule ofthe first channel.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary scenario for external data-drivendynamic scheduling and channel creation based on external data, inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. Referring toFIG. 4 , there is shown an exemplary illustrative scenario 800 thatincludes the first consumer device 402 a, the plurality of otherconsumer devices 402 b, . . . ,402 n, the CDN 130, and the media contentpackaging and distribution system 102. There is also shown a newschannel 802, in which media content 804 of a live coverage of an eventis displayed on the display screen 404 of the first consumer device 402a. The user 134 may be associated with the first consumer device 402(which may correspond to the client device 132).

In accordance with the exemplary illustrative scenario 800, the newschannel 802 may correspond to a live program stream of an existingchannel, such as such as CNN channel, that is distributed (e.g. amulticast) to the first consumer device 402 a and the plurality of otherconsumer devices 402 b, . . . ,402 n. The first consumer device 402 aand the plurality of other consumer devices 402 b, . . . ,402 ncorresponds to the plurality of other consumer devices 110 a, . . . ,110n. The scheduler 112 may be configured to receive audience-basedparameters from the external data source 120. For example, trending datathat includes information of what's trending in the social networks (orplatforms), may be received by the scheduler 112. For example, one ormore media items may be trending in the social networks. The trendingdata may indicate an aggregate interest level of a number of users inthe social networks for the one or more media items. The receivedaudience-based parameters may include metadata related to the one ormore media items that are trending, or have received maximum number oflikes or shares, a count of the number of users, who liked the trendingmedia item 806, and one or more paths to retrieve the one or moretrending media items from Internet.

The scheduler 112 may be configured to determine one or more mediaitems, such as a trending media item 806, from the receivedaudience-based parameters to be inserted in the live program stream(such as a live media feed) of the news channel 802. For example, thetrending media item 806 may be the highest trending video of the one ormore media items. The scheduler 112 may be configured to modify theprogramming schedule of the news channel 802 in real time or near-realtime to schedule the determined trending media item 806. The PEMCC 114may be configured to stitch in real time or near-real time (dynamicstitching) the trending media item 806 referenced in the modifiedprogramming schedule of the news channel 802. The live program stream ofthe news channel 802 may then include the inserted video segments of thetrending media item 806, which is communicated via the CDN 130 to beviewed on the first consumer device 402 a. The first consumer device 402may be configured to display the trending media item 806, such asChristmas video, on the news channel 802 interrupting the media content804 of the live coverage, as shown. After the trending media item 806 isplayed, the media content 804 of the live coverage may be resumed. Thebroadcast feed, such as the live program stream of the news channel 802may be unaffected for the other plurality of consumer devices 402 b, . .. ,402 n.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a hardwareimplementation for a content packaging and distribution system employinga processing system for dynamic scheduling and channel creation based onexternal data, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thedisclosure. Referring to FIG. 5 , the hardware implementation shown by arepresentation 1000 for the media content packaging and distributionsystem 102 employs a processing system 1002 for dynamic scheduling andchannel creation, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thedisclosure, as described herein. In some examples, the processing system1002 may comprise one or more hardware processors 1004, a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium 1006, the scheduler 112, a hardware PEMCC 114,the data storage system 116, the application server 122, a hardware livecontent storage system 124, a hardware media content storage system 126,and a hardware metadata cloud storage system 128. In accordance with anembodiment, the data storage system 116 may include the hardware livecontent storage system 124, the hardware media content storage system126, and the hardware metadata cloud storage system 128. It should berecognized that, in some embodiment of the disclosure, one or morecomponents of FIG. 5 creation of channels using pre-encoded media assetscreation of channels using pre-encoded media assets creation of channelsusing pre-encoded media assets creation of channels using pre-encodedmedia assets may include software whose corresponding code may beexecuted by a at least one processor, for across multiple processingenvironments. For example, the scheduler 112, the data storage system116, the application server 122 may include software that may beexecuted across a single or multiple processing environments.

In this example, the media content packaging and distribution system 102employing the processing system 1002 may be implemented with busarchitecture, represented generally by bus 1008. The bus 1008 mayinclude any number of interconnecting buses and bridges depending on thespecific implementation of the media content packaging and distributionsystem 102 and the overall design constraints. The bus 1008 linkstogether various circuits including the one or more processors,represented generally by the processor 1004, the non-transitorycomputer-readable media, represented generally by the computer-readablemedium 1006, the scheduler 112, the hardware PEMCC 114, the data storagesystem 116, the application server 122, the hardware live contentstorage system 124, the hardware media content storage system 126, andthe hardware metadata cloud storage system 128 which may be configuredto carry out one or more operations or methods described herein. A businterface 1010 provides an interface between the bus 1008 and atransceiver 1012. The transceiver 1012 provides communicating via thenetwork 108 with various other apparatus, such as the AOGADS 106 a, . .. , 106 n, the consumer devices 110 a, . . . , 110 n, such as the clientdevice 132 or the first consumer device 402 a, the external data source120, and the source device 118.

The processor 1004 may be configured to manage the bus 1008 and generalprocessing, including the execution of a set of instructions stored onthe computer-readable medium 1006. The set of instructions, whenexecuted by the processor 1004, causes the media content packaging anddistribution system 102 to execute the various functions describedherein for any particular apparatus. The computer-readable medium 1006may also be used for storing data that is manipulated by the processor1004 when executing the set of instructions. The computer-readablemedium 1006 may also be configured to store data for one or more of thescheduler 112, the hardware PEMCC 114, the data storage system 116, theapplication server 122, the hardware live content storage system 124,the hardware media content storage system 126, and/or the hardwaremetadata cloud storage system 128.

In an aspect of the disclosure, the processor 1004, thecomputer-readable medium 1006, or a combination of both may beconfigured or otherwise specially programmed to execute the operationsor functionality of the scheduler 112, the hardware PEMCC 114, the datastorage system 116, the application server 122, the hardware livecontent storage system 124, the hardware media content storage system126, and/or the hardware metadata cloud storage system 128, or variousother components described herein. For example, processor 1004,computer-readable medium 1006, or a combination of both may beconfigured or otherwise specially programmed to perform the operationsand functionality of the scheduler 112, the hardware PEMCC 114, the datastorage system 116, the application server 122, the hardware livecontent storage system 124, the hardware media content storage system126, and/or the hardware metadata cloud storage system 128 as describedwith respect to FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2, 3A, 3B, 4, and 5 .

Various embodiments of the disclosure comprise a media content packagingand distribution system 102 that may be configured to handledistribution of one or more channels to be viewed on one or more of aplurality of consumer devices (such as the consumer devices 110 a, . . ., 110 n). The media content packaging and distribution system 102 maycomprise, for example, the scheduler 112, the PEMCC 114, and the datastorage system 116. The media content packaging and distribution system102 may further comprise, for example, the application server 122, thelive content storage system 124, the media content storage system 126,the metadata cloud storage system 128. The metadata cloud storage system128 may further include the VOD program metadata 128A, the live programmetadata 128B, and the aggregate viewing information 128C. The scheduler112 may be configured to receive a media feed and a first programmingschedule of a first channel of the one or more channels from the sourcedevice 118. The application server 122 may be configured to receive anaudience-based parameters from the external data source 120 over thenetwork 108. Audience-based parameters may also be communicated betweenthe application server 122 and the scheduler 112. The scheduler 112 maybe configured to determine one or more media items to be inserted in themedia feed of the first channel based on the received audience-basedparameters and defined parameters. The scheduler 112 may be configuredto dynamically schedule the determined one or more media items in themedia feed of the first channel to be delivered over the distributionsystem to be viewed on one or more of the plurality of consumer devices,based on the received audience-based parameters and the definedparameters.

Various embodiments of the disclosure may provide a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium having stored thereon, computer implementedinstruction that when executed by a processor causes a media contentpackaging and distribution system to execute operations to handledistribution of one or more channels to be viewed on one or more of aplurality of consumer devices (such as the consumer devices 110 a, . . ., 110 n). The media content packaging and distribution system 102 mayexecute operations comprising receiving a media feed and a firstprogramming schedule of a first channel of the one or more channels fromthe source device 118. Audience-based parameters may be received fromthe external data source 120 over the network 108. One or more mediaitems to be inserted in the media feed of the first channel may bedetermined based on the received audience-based parameters and definedparameters. The determined one or more media items in the media feed ofthe first channel to be delivered over the network 108 to be viewed onone or more of the plurality of consumer devices may be dynamicallyscheduled, based on the received audience-based parameters and thedefined parameters.

As utilized herein the terms “circuits” and “circuitry” refer tophysical electronic components (i.e. hardware) and any software and/orfirmware (“code”) which may configure the hardware, be executed by thehardware, and/or otherwise be associated with the hardware. As usedherein, for example, a particular processor and memory may comprise afirst “circuit” when executing a first one or more lines of code and maycomprise a second “circuit” when executing a second one or more lines ofcode. As utilized herein, “and/or” means any one or more of the items inthe list joined by “and/or”. As an example, “x and/or y” means anyelement of the three-element set {(x), (y), (x, y)}. As another example,“x, y, and/or z” means any element of the seven-element set {(x), (y),(z), (x, y), (x, z), (y, z), (x, y, z)}. As utilized herein, the term“exemplary” means serving as a non-limiting example, instance, orillustration. As utilized herein, the terms “e.g.,” and “for example”set off lists of one or more non-limiting examples, instances, orillustrations. As utilized herein, circuitry is “operable” to perform afunction whenever the circuitry comprises the necessary hardware and/orcode (if any is necessary) to perform the function, regardless ofwhether performance of the function is disabled, or not enabled, by someuser-configurable setting.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of embodiments ofthe disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the”are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the contextclearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that theterms “comprises”, “comprising”, “includes” and/or “including”, whenused herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps,operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude thepresence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps,operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Further, many embodiments are described in terms of sequences of actionsto be performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It willbe recognized that various actions described herein can be performed byspecific circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuits(ASICs)), by program instructions being executed by one or moreprocessors, or by a combination of both. Additionally, these sequencesof actions described herein can be considered to be embodied entirelywithin any non-transitory form of computer readable storage mediumhaving stored therein a corresponding set of computer instructions thatupon execution would cause an associated processor to perform thefunctionality described herein. Thus, the various aspects of thedisclosure may be embodied in a number of different forms, all of whichhave been contemplated to be within the scope of the claimed subjectmatter. In addition, for each of the embodiments described herein, thecorresponding form of any such embodiments may be described herein as,for example, “logic configured to” perform the described action.

Another embodiment of the disclosure may provide a non-transitorymachine and/or computer readable storage and/or media, having storedthereon, a machine code and/or a computer program having at least onecode section executable by a machine and/or a computer, thereby causingthe machine and/or computer to perform the steps as described herein fordynamic scheduling and channel creation based on external data.

The present disclosure may also be embedded in a computer programproduct, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation ofthe methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer systemis able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the presentcontext means any expression, in any language, code or notation, eitherstatically or dynamically defined, of a set of instructions intended tocause a system having an information processing capability to perform aparticular function either directly or after either or both of thefollowing: a) conversion to another language, code or notation; b)reproduction in a different material form.

Further, those of skill in the art will appreciate that the variousillustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, algorithms, and/or stepsdescribed in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may beimplemented as electronic hardware, computer software, firmware, orcombinations thereof. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability ofhardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules,circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms oftheir functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented ashardware or software depends upon the particular application and designconstraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans mayimplement the described functionality in varying ways for eachparticular application, but such implementation decisions should not beinterpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the presentdisclosure.

The methods, sequences and/or algorithms described in connection withthe embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in firmware,hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in acombination thereof. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flashmemory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk,physical and/or virtual disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, virtualizedsystem or device such as a virtual sever or container, or any other formof storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium iscommunicatively coupled to the processor (including logic/code executingin the processor) such that the processor can read information from, andwrite information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, thestorage medium may be integral to the processor.

While the present disclosure has been described with reference tocertain embodiments, it will be noted understood by, for example, thoseskilled in the art that various changes and modification could be madeand equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope ofthe present disclosure as defined, for example, in the appended claims.In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particularsituation or material to the teachings of the present disclosure withoutdeparting from its scope. The functions, steps and/or actions of themethod claims in accordance with the embodiments of the disclosuredescribed herein need not be performed in any particular order.Furthermore, although elements of the disclosure may be described orclaimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation tothe singular is explicitly stated. Therefore, it is intended that thepresent disclosure not be limited to the particular embodimentdisclosed, but that the present disclosure will include all embodimentsfalling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: a memory for storing instructions; and a processor configured to execute the instructions, and based on the executed instructions, the processor is further configured to: determine a media item for an insertion in a first media feed of a first channel based on at least a pre-encoded media content, metadata related to the pre-encoded media content, and audience-based parameters, wherein the audience-based parameters comprise demographics data, targeted audience data, device type data, and trending information that includes media items based on current trend in a social network platform, and wherein each of a plurality of media segments of the pre-encoded media content corresponds to a different quality level and content encryption mode; generate a second channel from the first channel based on the audience-based parameters, the media item inserted in the first media feed, and a second programming schedule, wherein the second programming schedule corresponds to a modified first programming schedule based on the audience-based parameters; and generate, based on at least the media item, a second media feed of the second channel for distribution to a consumer device.
 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: receive the first media feed and a first programming schedule of the first channel from a source device; and receive the audience-based parameters from an external data source.
 3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the media item is determined for the insertion in the first media feed of the first channel based on defined parameters, wherein the processor is further configured to dynamically schedule the media item in the first media feed of the first channel based on the audience-based parameters and the defined parameters.
 4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to deliver the dynamically scheduled media item in the first media feed of the first channel over a distribution system.
 5. The system according to claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to deliver, in a viewable format, the media item in the second media feed of the second channel to the consumer device, wherein the dynamically scheduled media item is viewed on the consumer device.
 6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the media item is a trending media item.
 7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to insert video segments of the trending media item in the first media feed to be viewed on the consumer device.
 8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to: generate the second programming schedule from the modified first programming schedule of the first channel to schedule the trending media item; and dynamically stitch the trending media item referenced in the second programming schedule.
 9. The system according to claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to: display the trending media item at the consumer device, wherein the display of the trending media item interrupts media content of the first media feed; and resume the media content of the first media feed after the trending media item is played, wherein the first media feed of the first channel remains unaffected for another consumer device.
 10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the trending information further includes an information of the media item that is trending based on social engagement based on number of likes or votes to the media item, and wherein the trending information further includes information about number of people watching the media item.
 11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the trending information indicates an aggregate interest level of a plurality of users in the social network platform.
 12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the audience-based parameters include metadata related to the media item that is trending or has received maximum number of likes or shares, a count of a number of users who liked a trending media item, and one or more paths to retrieve one or more trending media items from a network.
 13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the pre-encoded media content comprises a live feed and is segmented into the plurality of media segments, and wherein a dynamically scheduling of the media item, the second programming schedule generated from the modified first programming schedule, and the insertion of the media item, pre-stored media content, and/or a pre-encoded media asset in the first media feed are based on real time or near-real time content context analysis and/or a user-selection at the consumer device.
 14. A method, comprising: determining, by a processor, a media item for an insertion in a first media feed of a first channel based on at least a pre-encoded media content, metadata related to the pre-encoded media content, and audience-based parameters, wherein the audience-based parameters comprise demographics data, targeted audience data, device type data, and trending information that includes media items based on current trend in a social network platform, and wherein each of a plurality of media segments of the pre-encoded media content corresponds to a different quality level and content encryption mode; generating, by the processor, a second channel from the first channel based on the audience-based parameters, the media item inserted in the first media feed, and a second programming schedule, wherein the second programming schedule corresponds to a modified first programming schedule based on the audience-based parameters; and generating, by the processor, a second media feed of the second channel for distribution to a consumer device based on at least the media item.
 15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising: dynamically scheduling, by the processor, the media item in the first media feed of the first channel based on the audience-based parameters and defined parameters, wherein the media item is determined for the insertion in the first media feed of the first channel based on the defined parameters, wherein the dynamically scheduled media item is viewed on the consumer device from a plurality of consumer devices, and wherein the audience-based parameters include metadata related to the media item that is trending or has received maximum number of likes or shares, a count of a number of users who liked a trending media item, and one or more paths to retrieve one or more trending media items from a network; and delivering, by the processor, the dynamically scheduled media item in the first media feed of the first channel over a distribution system.
 16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the media item is a trending media item, wherein the trending information further includes an information of the media item that is trending based on social engagement based on number of likes or votes to the media item, wherein the trending information further includes information about number of people watching the media item, and wherein the trending information indicates an aggregate interest level of a plurality of users in the social network platform.
 17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising: inserting, by the processor, video segments of the trending media item in the first media feed to be viewed on the consumer device; generating, by the processor, the second programming schedule from the modified first programming schedule of the first channel to schedule the trending media item; and dynamically stitching, by the processor, the trending media item referenced in the second programming schedule.
 18. The method according to claim 16, further comprising: displaying, by the processor, the trending media item at the consumer device, wherein the display of the trending media item interrupts media content of the first media feed; and resuming, by the processor, the media content of the first media feed after the trending media item is played, wherein the first media feed of the first channel remains unaffected for another consumer device.
 19. The method according to claim 14, wherein the pre-encoded media content comprises a live feed and is segmented into the plurality of media segments, and wherein a dynamically scheduling of the media item, the second programming schedule generated from the modified first programming schedule, and the insertion of the media item, pre-stored media content, and/or a pre-encoded media asset in the first media feed are based on real time or near-real time content context analysis and/or a user-selection at the consumer device.
 20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon, computer-readable instructions, which when executed by a computer, cause the computer to execute operations, the operations comprising: determining a media item for an insertion in a first media feed of a first channel based on at least a pre-encoded media content, metadata related to the pre-encoded media content, and audience-based parameters, wherein the audience-based parameters comprise demographics data, targeted audience data, device type data, and trending information that includes media items based on current trend in a social network platform, and wherein each of a plurality of media segments of the pre-encoded media content corresponds to a different quality level and content encryption mode; generating a second channel from the first channel based on the audience-based parameters, the media item inserted in the first media feed, and a second programming schedule, wherein the second programming schedule corresponds to a modified first programming schedule based on the audience-based parameters; and generating, based on at least the media item, a second media feed of the second channel for distribution to a consumer device. 